Physical Fan Controller Recommendations

[vbq7qK68eyYAH4iR]

I'm chasing a physical fan controller for 6 fans, but would setting for one that can only do the 3 fans on my rad.

I had an old controller that have levers, that did simple PWM control. It has died and I'm missing the ability to lean over and adjust the fans easily. It makes me feel old wanting this, as a quick search seemed to want me to do it all through software.

I have no idea what's on the market these days. Ideally it would be mounted in a 5.25" bay, but that isn't make or break.

Thank you for your help. I appreciate it.

 

[nomdeplume]

So you want to avoid daisy-chaining your rad fans despite a modern fan controller being fully capable of supporting this with full PWM?
It's pretty simple to set a hotkey or open a fan control program to switch back and forth between a few presets.
Actually a lot simpler to set up the fan curves etc. this way too.

Otherwise your options are pretty limited on the new at retail market. Plenty to go around on the used market for legacy 5.25" fan controllers.

 

[N/A]

I use the simpler version of that for 5 chassis fans.

 

[TheinsanegamerN]

Oh god, I remember those days. Back when manual control was the coolest thing ever.

Your best bet is to find a used NZXT sentry, there was the 5 and 6 lever models. There are some on amazon and newegg made of the finest Chinesium, but with no reviews so IDK anything about them.

Are you using 3 or 4 pin fans?

 

[vbq7qK68eyYAH4iR]

So you want to avoid daisy-chaining your rad fans despite a modern fan controller being fully capable of supporting this with full PWM?
It's pretty simple to set a hotkey or open a fan control program to switch back and forth between a few presets.
Actually a lot simpler to set up the fan curves etc. this way too.

Otherwise your options are pretty limited on the new at retail market. Plenty to go around on the used market for legacy 5.25" fan controllers.

I currently have my fans running through a fan hub. The hub then runs to the CPU PWM on my board and i have a custom fan profile set up in BIOS. I don't want to install software to control the fans, as i switch between Windows and Linux. A physical controller with nobs or levers that i can quickly fiddle with is best for my situation, i believe.

Oh god, I remember those days. Back when manual control was the coolest thing ever.

Your best bet is to find a used NZXT sentry, there was the 5 and 6 lever models. There are some on amazon and newegg made of the finest Chinesium, but with no reviews so IDK anything about them.

Are you using 3 or 4 pin fans?

I'm using 4 pin fans. Specifically, the EK Vardar F3-140ER

 

[N/A]

So you need a physical knob.

 

[vbq7qK68eyYAH4iR]

I wouldn't recommend anything in 5.25 nor in the slot

If you care to expand, why avoid using 5.25" slot? I have an empty drive bay and the front of the computer is the easiest to get to.

 

[N/A]

I was thinkning there is not enough room to fit a rad and 5.25 at the same time. and 3.5"is more compact.

 

[eidairaman1]

If you care to expand, why avoid using 5.25" slot? I have an empty drive bay and the front of the computer is the easiest to get to.

Rheostat or potentiometer

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Thermaltake+Commander+F6+RGB+LCD+Multi+Fan+Controller&tag=akshatblog198-20

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computer fan control panel with knobs at DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo. Privacy, Simplified.

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3.5 bay

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3.5 bay computer fan control panel with knobs at DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo. Privacy, Simplified.

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[Toothless]

I was thinkning there is not enough room to fit a rad and 5.25 at the same time. and 3.5"is more compact.

The issue isn't lack of space but lack of 5.25 slots in most new cases. A 5.25 controller would work fine if it's within OP's requirements.

 

[eidairaman1]

The issue isn't lack of space but lack of 5.25 slots in most new cases. A 5.25 controller would work fine if it's within OP's requirements.

Sad times now for sure. At least we have 3D printers to create certain shapes etc.

 

[vbq7qK68eyYAH4iR]

The issue isn't lack of space but lack of 5.25 slots in most new cases. A 5.25 controller would work fine if it's within OP's requirements.

I'm using a Define 7 XL, which has two 5.25 slots. It also sits to the side of my desk, so the 5.25 is about knee height.

 

[eidairaman1]

I'm using a Define 7 XL, which has two 5.25 slots. It also sits to the side of my desk, so the 5.25 is about knee height.

Check this info out.

Physical Fan Controller Recommendations

I'm chasing a physical fan controller for 6 fans, but would setting for one that can only do the 3 fans on my rad. I had an old controller that have levers, that did simple PWM control. It has died and I'm missing the ability to lean over and adjust the fans easily. It makes me feel old wanting...

www.techpowerup.com

 

[Toothless]

I'm using a Define 7 XL, which has two 5.25 slots. It also sits to the side of my desk, so the 5.25 is about knee height.

So 5.25 is fine for you. Look at what was suggested and go for what suits your needs. I have two 5.25 controllers and both work pretty well running off molex power.

 

[Kapone33]

Internal fan hubs that will use the PSU 4 pin or in some cases SATA power connectors are the cheapest way to expand fan support. You did not list your specs but PSU makes what header you plug it into moot. There are plenty of them on Amazon that come with ARGB headers as well.